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Mexico: Public Outcry Over Unsolved 2009 Day Care Fire, 49 Kids Died

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Mexico: Public Outcry Over Unsolved 2009 Day Care Fire, 49 Kids Died

by Kelly Carrion / Jun.02.2015 / 5:25 PM ET

It has been almost six years since the deadly day care fire in Hermosillo, Mexico that took 49 children’s lives and left another 100 injured. Actors and actresses have volunteered their voices to the families of the children and activists, and a new video this week has been released in hopes of raising awareness of the tragedy, which has gone unsolved.

Noticiero Telemundo reports that the digital activist group ContingenteMX released the video of stars such as Telemundo’s Rafael Amaya, reenacting parent and witness testimonials of that tragic day.

The video ends with an invitation for supporters to join a march on June 5 in Mexico City and Hermosillo, Sonora. A hashtag #GuarderiaABC (ABC Daycare) has been going viral on Twitter.

The video was released in conjunction with a petition on Avaaz.org that wants this story to reach the exterior and get the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) to acknowledge and accept the case. So far there are close to 20,000 signatures.

The family of 2-year-old of Maria Magdalena Millan, who died during a fire in a day care center, attends her funeral at a cemetery in Hermosillo, Mexico, Saturday, June 6, 2009. Alexandre Meneghini / AP

The petition states that if the CIDH accepts the case, they would be able to conduct objective investigations that the Mexican government has not done. “Join the pain of the families, but also join their fight for justice,” says the petition site.

On June 5, 2009, a government-owned day care, “Guarderia ABC,” went up in flames with almost 150 children inside. The building, which had passed inspection two weeks prior, only had one exit. According to Periodico Zocalo, nineteen people were questioned but all were exonerated.